Bangladeshi-born Abdul said: "Because of all the interest shown last time we have decided to keep it on show for a couple of weeks before selling it off in portions.

"Last time I sold it whole to a Rochester chef who bought it for a giant family barbecue, but now we have decided to let more people try it out."

Abdul said he was receiving about 20 inquiries a day including members of angling clubs who "just want to check out the size of it".

The father of three said: "There was such a buzz three years ago and a lot of people were disappointed they could not get their hands on a portion.

"You really don't expect a big fish to come bigger that 10 kilos so this is absolutely massive, but you never know what's in the water."

Mushed, Rasad, Alluddin and Hannan with the giant catfish on display at Sani Globe Food in Chatham

Abdul will be making sure he keeps some back to cook at home. He said: "It's very tasty and easy to cook. It's all meat and has very few bones. I like to dabble, but it's my wife Rubey, who is the cook."

He is planning to sell it at the cost price of £7.49 a kilo. Abdul has been running the family business for five years and has about 2,000 customers from all over Kent.

Catfish have a large ranges in size, with species ranging from under an inch to more than eight feet. The average catfish size is said to be around four to five feet.